Elliptical Machines

I used an elliptical machine at the gym for the first time today. It was clearly not designed to accommodate someone who stands 6 feet 2 inches tall with a wingspan slightly longer than their height. The machines look like something you'd pay to ride at a state fair, so I always wanted to try it. I ellipticaled(?) for about half an hour and didn't feel like I'd done much, and I felt so ridiculous standing on the machine that it occurs to me that maybe that's its purpose -- to make people look ridiculous. After all, most people use it with the goal of trimming down to look better, but the fact is that we would all be happier if we just accepted how we looked and stopped trying to get a model physique. Perhaps this is the real utility of an elliptical machine -- to get us so comfortable with looking silly, that we don't give much thought to losing an inch off our waistlines.